WELLINGTON: New Zealand share prices closed 1.09 per cent higher Thursday, as local investors followed the positive lead of Wall Street, dealers said. The benchmark NZX-50 index rose 29.37 points to close at 2,734.41 on turnover worth 80.5 million New Zealand dollars (42.6 million US). Rising stocks outnumbered falls by 42 to 37.

MELBOURNE: New Zealand-based cooperative dairy giant Fonterra is keen to work with Indian local industry in a bid to establish its presence in the region and to meet the strong consumer demand for quality diary. "We think our exports from countries such as New Zealand and Australia can, at best, only play a small role in helping meet the demand of growing economies such as India and China," Fonterra President (Greater China & India) Kelvin Wickham told PTI here today. "However we also see opportunities where we can potentially work with the local industry to keep meeting the strong consumer needs for quality dairy in the future," he added.

WELLINGTON: India made 392 for four after being sent in to bat first in the third one-day cricket international against New Zealand here Sunday. Sachin Tendulkar made 163 before he retired hurt, Yuvraj Singh was out for 87 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni made 68.

NEW DELHI: India and New Zealand today discussed ways to give boost to bilateral cooperation in key areas, including trade and investment and science and technology. During the Foreign Office consultations in Wellington, New Zealand, the two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues, a Ministry of External Affairs release said here. The Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Singh , Secretary (East) in the MEA and the New Zealand delegation was led by John Allen , Chief Executive and Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

WELLINGTON: The New Zealand government confirmed Saturday it will guarantee wholesale bank deposits in a scheme that it hopes will stop the financial system running out of cash. At the same time, it has secured a deal with banks to go easy on mortgage clients hurt by the recession. Finance Minister Michael Cullen said the government would offer a wholesale funding guarantee facility to investment-grade financial institutions in New Zealand. It has already offered a guarantee of up to one million New Zealand dollars (580,700 US)

NEW DELHI: India has sought expertise from New Zealand in development of cold storages in the country, where fruits and vegetables worth thousands of crores go waste every year due to inadequate storage infrastructure. This was one of the important issues discussed by Indian officials with their New Zealand counterpart during their meeting in Wellington on 29th and 30th July. "India has 37 million tonne opportunity for developing cold storage. We have asked New Zealand's expertise in this matter," a senior official in the commerce ministry said.

WELLINGTON: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against New Zealand in the second and final cricket Test at Basin Reserve, here today. India are unchanged for the match, while Tom Latham and Jimmy Neesham make their debut for New Zealand in place of Ross Taylor and Ish Sodhi. Teams: India: M S Dhoni (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Chesteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.

NEW DELHI: India and New Zealand are likely join hands soon for exchange technology transfer and research in the agriculture sector. "We are in the process of finalising a few things at the official level in this regard," Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told reporters here after meeting his New Zealand counterpart Jim Anderton. Both the countries are likely to sign a memorandum of understanding in the farm sector shortly, which would also encourage private sector investment.